Mal Canem!
by Ivvory Shadows
Summary: Alucard may flirt with Seras, but quickly comes to heel when his true Master calls. NEW CHAPTERS UP NOW! R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

_Again with the anime versions of the characters. Please R&R, constructive criticism as always very welcome!_

_Oh, yeah, and I don't own Hellsing. No, really. If I did, I would keep Alucard all to myself._

* * *

The sky was as black as pitch over London, the only heavenly body visible was the incredibly bright, almost iridescent orb of the full moon. The streets of London were, thankfully, quite this evening, and in the gardens of the Hellsing Estate the night-blooming flowers were in their full glory, the sweet smells of jasmine and lilac mingling softly with the crisp clean aroma coming from the waters of the fountain. 

It was a cool, clear night in the middle of September, and only a few windows of the massive estate were still illuminated against the cold grey stones of the mansion. The curtains of Integra's personal office were, as usual, backlit by the glow of her desk lamp, and pulled tightly closed against the night. Somewhere in the distance a nightingale twittered, and the soft night wind gracefully sauntered through the peaceful scene.

In the sculptured and terraced back lawns of the Estate however, all was not calm. Darkly glowing red eyes were at the head of a slithering mass of shadows that flowed across the grass like fog on the prowl. The smell of blood and gunpowder lightly tinged the comfortable night air, and, for the moment, there was not a sound to be heard past the soft ruffle of leaves in the aforementioned breeze.

The blonde fledgling, Seras, moved into position behind a boxwood hedge and held her breath as her undead heart forced vitae through her system, willing it to her ears and eyes and nose in an attempt to locate her quarry before she was turned from the hunter to the hunted.

She dropped down on her haunches and nearly lost her balance as the tight material of her outfit refused to allow enough give to settle comfortably. '_I guess Ferguson was right about running around in a skirt all the time_', she thought ruefully, softly to herself, so as not to give away her position.

_Too late,_ the creature she stalked thought to himself. _Your unnatural heartbeat calls to me like a concerto, and the blood in your veins – MY blood - like a choir. _But he kept these things to himself… best to let her think she had a sporting chance.

She allowed her eyes to drift half-closed as she silently threw out the mental net as she had been taught by her Master, clumsily, to try and ensnare any stray sensations and bring them to the attention of her other senses. She sniffed in a feral manner as an ear pricked at a strange sound – she smirked slightly and half-stood, creeping along her path, her white fangs gleaming in the moonlight.

She had him now.

Quick as a flash she had her handgun pointed at what she had detected, and as soon as she saw the shadow of the creature she pulled the trigger, watching with anticipatory glee as two bullets zipped through leaves and branches… a glee that quickly turned to annoyed frustration as a rabbit squealed and ran off through the bushes.

A dark, all-encompassing chuckle served to only annoy her further. '_You will have to do better than that, Police Girl.'_

She grumbled under her breath about playing children's games, and how they were NOT her idea of training, as she once again stalked across the terraced grounds in search of her elusive quarry.

'_One must learn to climb from ones crib first, police girl, before one can be expected to enjoy more… adult… pursuits._'

Her cheeks warmed at the insinuation, momentarily forgetting that his taunts were usually double-edged and meant to distract rather than to invite. She shook her head and used the brief mental contact that he had initiated in order to more closely hone in on his position… _Master's pride will be his downfall one day_, she mused. But then thinking of her Master as downfallen wasn't something that she long entertained. It caused a tearing sensation in her stomach and the beginnings of an ache in her heart that she refused to listen to. _Master will live forever_. After all, had she not personally witnessed him be blown to bits, hacked to pieces, and torn to shreds time and again, only to coalesce into his proper form and take out the mongrel dog that had dared attack him?

She wondered suddenly if she would ever develop those same powers.

'_Not if you persist in sitting there feeling sorry for yourself instead of coming and finding me. Here, shall I give you a hint?'_

There was a not-so-subtle rustle of leaves off to her left as a bush rocked so violently that she thought it might actually take legs and run away.

Seras sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, bloody hell."

But she broke out into a run in the direction of the bush anyway, knowing that this training session would not end until she had caught the grinning fiend, and that this might be her only opportunity to end this before dawn. He had been in a particularly solicitous mood for the past few days and she wished that he would snap out of it. When she had expressed her desires to train with him the week before, she had NOT meant 24-hours-a-day-for-three-days-straight.

'_Oh really…? And here I thought you enjoyed spending time with me, police girl.'_

She sighed, and refused to fall for the bait. Of COURSE she enjoyed spending time with him, but… what she had in mind was more the cuddles-in-the-coffin type of time, not the 'chase-me-around-in-the-dark-and-make-me-shoot-you' type. This, to her, was NOT quality time.

Again, his irritatingly mocking laughter filled her mind.

She pelted down an embankment and made a leap across a small stone bench, landing beside the riotous bush just in time to see a thick shadow slithering around it and UP the other side, back the way she had just come. She used her mental powers to try and mask her presence as she stalked around the bush, her gun at the ready. She did not see the tenebrous shadow any longer so she climbed back up the terraced embankment carefully, searching with not only her eyes and ears but her soul, allowing her instincts to hone in on him as he had done to her in the past. _'Blood calls out to blood' _he had told her when she had inquired as to how he did that. _'My blood is inside you, therefore I shall always be able to find you.'_

She recalled with a warm blush and a soft smile the exact circumstances surrounding their 'mingling' of blood. She had never experienced so intimate a moment before, so completely between THEM as when she lay dying in his arms in that church… when he had bitten her and drawn her blood from her she had felt a rush of paralyzing pleasure wash through her… a feeling that no one could ever take away from her, or claim to have experienced with her. The hot flush in her cheeks at the memory traveled down her shoulders to blaze across her whole body as she recalled her feverant desire to share that sort of intimacy with her Master again, but the pleasantness was ruined by the looming image in her minds eye of yet another blonde woman staring derisively down at her for her childish notions towards Alucard.

Seras shook her head to rid herself of these human emotions. Alucard of course took advantage of her moment of distraction – like a cat he allowed his shadowy form to rub against one of her legs, wrapping around it like a snake and causing her to shiver deliciously at the sensation, before the dark tentacle slithered off into the underbrush. _'I'm waiting…' _came his teasing entreaty. She had frozen at the unexpected contact, furious with herself for allowing him to get away so easily when all she had to do was reach down and grab him. _sigh I'm hopeless._

She forced herself to refocus on the situation at hand, tightening the grip on her weapon and heading towards the rustle of leaves just ahead. And, personally, she didn't really wish to think too long on how exactly it was that Alucard was able to track Sir Integra, too.

Suddenly, she pounced. She had no reason to have pounced other than her more base instincts telling her to do so. She landed with a definite 'OMFH!' on something that tried to writhe its way out from under her, but again her instincts took over and she grappled the wiggling mass of half-coalesced shadows. "Got you!" She yelled triumphantly, only to make a surprised face and tighten her grip as the thing under her started MOVING. There was that annoying chuckle as the tenebrous form of her Master nearly freed itself, but Seras got her feet under her and sprang once more. The creature bucked and rolled like an angry tsunami, undulating under and against her in a most… interesting way, its shadowy state of being making it near impossible to find a secure handhold. Alucard's inky half-form then leapt into the air and landed hard as he tried to dislodge Seras, who now gripped around the shadow creature's midsection with her legs, dropping her gun in the process and holding on for dear life.

"Give up!" she grunted as they continued to careen up the terraced hill. "You said if I caught you, you would give up!"

'_Hmm… yes, you have caught me haven't you?'_ The amused sarcasm seemed to fairly drip from the disembodied voice that sounded in and around her, making her positively gush at its sinful timbre. _'But now the question is, can you hold on?'_

She looked momentarily puzzled. "Hold on? Wha---?" But as the realization of his words sunk in, she grabbed a hold of the beast she was riding even harder. "No! Don't you dare…!"

* * *

Integra had heard the gunshot and frowned. _What now? _She had asked herself irritably, but had not paid too much attention to the ruckus. She was sure that if it was something that required her immediate attention that she would be well-informed. Over-informed was more the term, as she was sure Walter would report in, as well as Ferguson, and then of course that damnedable monster of hers would not be able to RESIST taunting her about how easily someone had infiltrated the hallowed Hellsing halls and how he was sure she was grateful for his presence to keep her safe. 

So, she prepared a stopping point in her paperwork just in case.

But when no one rushed to tell her what was going on, she became mildly annoyed.

A second report was heard and she rose from her desk and peeked out of her office window – it had sounded as if it had come from the back garden. What she saw made her frown even deeper – what in the world was Seras doing slinking around the gardens with her gun in the middle of the night? And where was Alucard? She had not seen him in more than just passing for the past week and that annoyed her.

She hesitated for a moment, then with a decisive noise in the back of her throat turned and headed out of her office towards the stairs, determined to find out what was going on and why she had not been invited.

* * *

"Omfh! Hold still, Master!" Seras demanded as the shadow-creature continued its merry jaunt up and down the terraces. 

'_Oh but where is the fun in that?' _He teased. _'Nothing much can be accomplished by just laying there…'_

She blushed, furiously, her grasp on her humanity still great enough that she unwittingly pushed her vitae towards her cheeks for the task. The thought of anyone being able to 'just lay there' with Alucard around was absurd. Much writhing would ensue, she was sure, and probably some biting and scratching and…

'…_and?' _He prodded as the umbral form chose this time to perform a complicated cork-screw-rollover maneuver. The effect upon Seras was exactly what he had expected – she giggled almost giddily, and was torn between exasperation at not being able to control him, and almost orgasmic ecstasy at being almost completely enveloped in his embrace – arms or not, it was still HIM, and that was enough for her.

"Ohhhh! You ENJOY teasing me, don't you?" she grunted through gritted teeth as she was turned over, so that her back was gently grazing the grass as he slithered across it.

'_Mmmmm… Immensely.'_

His tone briefly led her to wonder whether he had meant teasing in THIS manner, or if he had been alluding to some other, much more enjoyable activities. _Psha. Master is hundreds of years old. I don't even know if he THINKS like that anymore._

It was her fatal mistake, she realized that later, but she could not help it. Her mind plunged itself into a daydream that took her almost forcefully to a satin-lined bed with burning candles all around, the image of HIM, bare-chested and leaning over her, that seductively indolent grin plastered on his face as his long dark hair tickled her exposed flesh… he was gazing down at her as if she were the only other creature in the world, like he was a starving wolf and she his intended prey… she gulped…

…and was brought out of her fantasy with a shocking 'Ompfh!' as she hit the ground forcefully, his hands gently yet firmly gripping her upper arms, his arms and face and chest and hair having manifested from the inky shadows that he had been manipulating just a few seconds before. He had her pinned and she knew it. Had she really been his quarry he would have had no problems ripping out her throat. Her dark red eyes held a mingling of fear and confusion, but were still tinged with the embers that had burned within her in her just-passed daydream.

And in real life, just as in her dreamlet, he stared down at her, grinning rakishly as tendrils of his hair came to life and reached out, teasingly flicking bits of grass and leaves from her blond locks as she lay there. She was not sure if she should close her eyes and accept the imagined killing blow, or if she should leave them open and enjoy the ecstasy that she feverantly hoped was in store for her. The rays of the bright moonlight gleamed for a moment off of his ivory fangs, her unnecessary breaths coming in short, hard gasps.

'_Why don't you tell _me_, police girl… after hundreds of years, do I still think that way?'_

"That's enough, Alucard," came the all-too-familiar voice from across the yard. Seras experienced an uncharacteristic stab of true hatred then for the owner of that voice, emitting a low, almost feral growl at the unexpected intrusion that caused Alucard to arch a brow and smirked in amusement. Her resentful anger was further elevated when Alucard immediately released Seras and manifested completely, moving away from his fledgling and kneeling in the grass with his head bowed, facing the house.

Seras blinked as the preternatural rage died, and she sat up. She turned to see Sir Hellsing standing on the back steps, regal and commanding as always.

"Would either of you care to tell me what was going on?"

Alucard raised his head then, an almost wicked expression on his face as he prepared to answer. He did not glance at Seras and seemed to have eyes only for the Ice Queen.

Seras sought to save her dignity and cleared her throat nervously, answering in a rush before Alucard could. "I – it was just training, Sir Integra. You see, I was supposed to try and catch Master, but well it seems he caught me instead..." She ended the rush of words with a rather lame laugh, a laugh that died a few seconds later as a chilling, round-spectacled gaze slid to her and seemed to pin her there. She got the impression that the Knight was not displeased, merely annoyed. For now at least.

"Hm." she finally replied. "Training. Is _that_ what they call it these days?" Her voice was colored with an odd emotion, somewhere between sarcasm and challenge. Her eyes slid from Seras to Alucard. Through their mental connection came the stinging querry, _'Attempting to molest your childe again, Alucard?'_

His eyes held hers as he remained kneeling. '_As if she'd resist.' _his mind replied derisively._ 'Why? Do you have a better… outlet… for my affections?' _

"Hmm, indeed, Master," Alucard purred exquisitely as if the mental exchange had not happened, the tone of his voice sending shivers up Seras' spine. "I could perhaps arrange a similar event for you if you desired."

Seras groaned at the obvious insinuation and dropped her head into her hand. "Can I go now, please?"

The weight of Integra's penetrating gaze now refocused on the fidgeting Seras, who had no desires to be reminded of where Alucard's true affections and loyalties obviously lay. What she could not understand was why Sir Integra, who would never return the affection, got so jealous whenever someone else tried to. _Alpha female syndrome I guess _she finally decided, gazing up expectantly at the obviously un-thrilled Knight.

"Dismissed, Officer Victoria," was the eventual disapprovingreply.Integra's icy glare slid from Seras and back to her kneeling pet vampire. "Alucard, my office. I require your assistance."

Seras released a breath that she did not know that she had been holding as without another word Integra tuned on her heel and stalked silently back into the Estate. Without hesitation Alucard rose fluidly to his feet, the graceful cat-like motion causing Seras to sigh in admiration. He stalked by her without a glance despite the almost pleading look in her eyes as he passed.

"G – goodnight, Master…" she said uncertainly, at a loss as to what to say next but knowing that she didn't want him to leave her presence just yet – not without him speaking to her at least! "Um… enjoy yourself…"

His head dropped and he gave her a backward glance around his shoulder rather than over it, his blood-red eyes penetrating her very soul as he mentally replied. _'Oh I intend to, Police Girl…I intend to.'_

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	2. Chapter 2

R&R please!

* * *

She stalked through the halls and up the stairs and towards her office without as much as a backwards glance. Her monster followed like a loyal wolfhound, his footsteps echoing a half a beat behind hers. It was only one of his many tactics employed to annoy her. 

She swept into her office and from force of habit pushed the door closed as she passed through it. Alucard grunted as the door was slammed in his face, nonchalantly phasing through just in time to see her seat herself at her desk and pick up her pen to continue her work. Her white-blond head bowed over the files before her and the only other sound was the soft scratch of the pen against paper.

He sank into one of the rather uncomfortable chairs on the opposite side of the desk from her, sitting ramrod straight as if he were a child waiting to be scolded in the Principals office. He interlaced his gloved fingers together and rested them on his lap, gazing at her expectantly.

_Scratch scratch scratch._

He removed his sunglasses and hat and laid them on the corner of her desk, just far enough towards her that in order to complete her task she would have to either brush against the brim of the hat, or reach out and move it completely.

She moved her papers a half an inch to the right, circumventing the brim all together, and continued working.

_Scratch scratch scratch scratch._

Finally he shifted in his chair, throwing one long leg over the other at the knee, the foot of the dangling leg nearly brushing the floor. He moved the long limb back and forth as he waited. This caused the toe of his boot to very gently yet insistently thump against the outside of her desk.

_Scratch scratch scratch. _

_Thump thump thump._

"Haven't you been filled with enough bullets this evening, Alucard?" she asked without looking up. He smirked at the referenceof her fondnessfor shooting him when he got too annoying.

"Don't you want to drink my blood?" was his grinning reply.

"Don't you ever tire of aggravating me?" She still had not looked up.

He shrugged. "Everyone has to have a hobby. Besides, I believe that it was you that requested my presence, Master." He replied.

She stopped her work and looked up at him, almost puzzled. Then she very slightly colored. "Oh…" She had almost completely forgotten that she had used the excuse of having a job for him in order to extract him from the presence of Seras. Her loss for words lasted perhaps a second or two longer than the span of a heartbeat. "Never mind," her voice hardened again as she dropped her head to her work once more. "Dismissed."

He did not move. After a few moments he dropped his head and peered at her through the soft curtain of hair that fell across her face. She continued to ignore him. Her thoughts were carefully neutral, and he knew that it was a deliberate effort on her part.

"Jealous, Integra?" he asked softly.

"Deranged, Alucard?" she bit back savagely.

He laughed. "Only where you are concerned, my Master."

"Then you have your answer. Go back to playing with your pet."

He pretended to pout. "Does this mean you really don't have anything for me this evening? My Jackal is hungry and it is SUCH a beautiful night out tonight…"

"Then go and bay at the moon."

His poorly veiled playfulness faded at the finality of the statement. He picked up his glasses and hat and placed them back on his head. He stood and offered her a very formal bow, before fading away as he replied. "As you wish, Master…"

As soon as she was sure that all of him was gone, she put down her pen and removed herglasses. She pinchedthe bridge of her nose with thumb and forefinger, closing her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. She knew that her conflicting emotions were going to be her downfall one day, and she was not sure whether it would be her own monster or her own heart that would betray her when that moment came.

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	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Yes, more rambling. I am not sure where I am going with any of this... I just know that I started writing and the characters took over. _

_Please read and review, and if there are any ideas floating about on where this should go, please feel free to drop them to me? I would also like to apologize to those who have not been able to comment on my stories due to a mix-up with the 'allow anon review' button. That has been fixed, and all the Moose responsible have now been sacked. _

_

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_

Integra reached for the intercom button and called for a cup of warm tea to be brought to her, then sat back and waited. Her thoughts wandered to the memories of the scene just played out before her, and how she hadn't the right to feel the welling of red-hot anger as she had watched the police girl writhing under Alucard, nor the pinpricks of - _damn him for pegging it_ – jealousy at the expression in his eyes, an expression that had mirrored Seras' own. She hadn't the right to demand that Alucard keep his relationship with Seras on a professional level only and she knew it. She hadn't the right to demand that he keep his desires restrained exclusively for HER, when she knew damned well that she could never succumb to them.

_Well, why the hell not? _That annoying little voice of reason prodded. _It would erase the worry of ever succumbing to his OTHER offer. You would not have the threat of issue, and he would be a most devoted lover… _

She refused to acknowledge that the main reason she would not take him into her bed was because that WOULD remove all possibility of immortality. She refused to allow the notion that there may come a point in her life where she would wish to become one of the damned. Her trials in the Tower had shaken her faith in the convictions that she had been raised upon. She had learned from that experience that you could not afford to pretend you knew the motivations of your enemies, or even your supposed allies. She knew that she still loved her Queen and her Country, but that perhaps they did not love her as much as she was brought up to believe, and that perhaps they would be willing to sacrifice her after all, if it suited them to do so at the time.

_It really isn't the police girls fault, _she continued her silent musing. _It is probably natural for fledglings to feel such things for their sires, and I am sure that Alucard would not have brought her across had she been totally uninteresting to him. _

The notion that physical pleasures still held any sort of appeal for the monster amused her.

_It's your own fault that she is still here, if you recall, _that annoying little voice sounded again. _You could have ordered her terminated and he would have had no choice but to obey. But instead you decided to allow him to wallow in his own misery. Remember that first conversation with Alucard after he brought his little pet home…? _

**_

* * *

_**

_Integra had stalked down the hallway towards her office, Alucard a half a heartbeat behind her. He knew his Master well enough to know that she was more hurt than angry at the initiative he had taken that evening with the police girl. He was also not sure of which emotion he should be more cautious._

_"Your actions this evening were petty and irresponsible, and the last time something of its like will happen, is that clear?" her voice snapped coolly. _

_"She made the choice herself." he replied indolently, watching her white-blond hair flow out behind her like a battle flag. "She chose unlife over death. Who was I to deny such once she had decided?" _

_"I don't care what your excuse is Alucard; you had no right to condemn the girl to eternal damnation." she threw back acidly. _

_His voice was lightly teasing, "Eternal life is a condemnation? Even if it is spent with me?" He reached out and allowed a wisp of her hair to dance across his fingers as they continued down the hallway. _

_She threw a scathing glare over her shoulder, the motion removing the strand of hair from his touch. "OR to give her false hopes concerning her future." _

_He chose to ignore that. "I have merely given her what she wanted, and nothing more than what I have offered you on multiple occasions. She has drunk of me, and therefore now possesses the potential for a measure of my power. Once I have taught her the basics of survival, her fate shall be her own." _

_She stopped her forward motion and pivoted on her heel to face him, the action so abrupt that he had to halt immediately or risk knocking her over - as it was they were a hairs breadth from each other. Her icy blue eyes snapped with frigid fury. _

_"No, Alucard, it will not." Her voice was calm and low, hard and cold as steel. It made his blood boil. "YOU brought her into this life, made her a pawn in our game. I care not why – boredom, or to nettle me, or a dozen other reasons. However because of that, YOU will be the one to guide her through this new life, every step of the way. You will make sure that she understands that servitude to Hellsing is her only option for survival past this night. She may not be bound by the Seals as you are, but she WILL be bound by her servitude to you." _

_She could see the amusement leaving the eyes of her vampire as he realized what was being said. He saw his clever little plan begin to crumble as she pushed against the Seals in order to reinforce her edict. He growled. Damn her. He had no wish for his fledgling to be trapped in servitude as he was. Through their empathic bond she could feel sparks of anger flitting through him. She grunted. _

_"I see," he finally replied. He loomed over her, reveling in the fact that she could not be intimidated. His dark and gravely voice was patiently controlled. "And when she is no longer in thrall to me?" _

_She searched his eyes with hers, cold fire snapping in their icy blue depths. Her new edict rang crystal clear in the cold silence of the hallway. "You will not allow such." _

_She then turned on her heel once more and continued towards her office. He did not follow. She called over her shoulder, "You began this little experiment, Count, and you will be the one to see it through to its end. She is your responsibility now. Make sure she is housetrained by the end of the week." _

_

* * *

_

There was as soft knock at her door, bringing her back to the present, and then a maid with a tray entered. The young girl showed nervousness around her eyes as she carefully set the tray down on the edge of the desk, very careful not to spill anything. Integra was so used to Walter's confident piddling that she ignored the girl, whom she did not recognize.

_My father would have known all of the staff,_ she reminisced.

"W – Would you like me to pour the tea, ma'am?" the maid asked skittishly after a few moments. Integra glanced at the girl, trying to place a name with her pretty face. Finally however, Integra shook her head and replied gently.

"No, thank you. Dismissed."

The girl bobbed and hurried from the room.

Integra reached out and poured the cream into her teacup, placing the delicate porcelain carefully back in position – Walter would be quite annoyed with her if she broke the tea set after its many decades of service. She then poured in her tea – her father had been appalled to find that she was a MIF, and not a TIF like he – and stirred the steaming contents before taking an experimental sip. She then bent her head to her work once more, hoping to drown her inner turmoil in the monotony of red tape.

After a few minutes however she sighed, disgusted, and in a rare display of defiance she almost violently pushed the papers away from her and stood, not caring where they fell or in what order as they fluttered to the floor. She began muttering to herself as she stalked towards the door. She needed a drink, something strong, an indulgence that was never lightly considered, and she would be damned if she would be denied such.

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	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry for my long absence! I've two more parts planned for this... R&R please, Constructive Crits always welcome!

* * *

_A Few Weeks Later…_

* * *

_Integra did her level best not to chew through the end of her cigarillo as the thick-headed blonde girl…_ vampire_… stared blankly at her. _

_"… You mean to say…?" _

_"…that you are now one of what he is, Agent Seras, and as thus you shall be expected to conduct yourself accordingly." She did not allow her gaze to flick towards the shadowy, brooding figure that leaned against the window, gazing out over the night-darkened grounds. _

_"And… what exactly is that, Miss?" _

_White-hot anger flared in Integra, and Alucard nearly choked. Was his new childe doing this on purpose? _

_Integra growled her next words, standing ramrod straight and glaring down imperiously at the young girl seated uncomfortably before her. "I am _Sir_ Integra Wingates Hellsing, the head of Her Majesty's Loyal Protestant Knights known as the Hellsing Organization, Agent Seras, and shall in the future be addressed as such. You, like him" she threw a gesture towards the suspiciously silent Alucard with a toss of her head, " are now among the ranks of those damned creatures of hell known as the Midian." _

_Seras stared blankly at Sir Integra. _

_"Dracula's get," Integra finally spat. Alucard's new childe certainly was a dense little thing. _

_Alucard was still leaning nonchalantly against the window, his face hidden in the shadows created by his huge hat, but Seras could sense that he was very amused by the proceedings. Seras peered up at him, attempting to use her brand new preternatural sight to pierce the darkness cast by the brim. When it did not work she instead murmured in a questioning voice, "…Dracula... as in, Bram Stoker, and Transylvania? _VLAD _Dracula??" _

_The monster twitched. "It's Alucard now." His dark voice grated, calm and even yet clearly unamused by the comparison. "I will brook no further references to the mad ravings of that demented Irishman in my presence, Police Girl. Put those comparisons out of your mind right now." _

_The fledgling looked quickly away from Alucard, her eyes wide and her mouth clamped firmly shut. _

_Integra smirked. _

_The Knight then continued coolly. "Seras: Don't eat my men. Obey my orders. And stay out of the way of those who actually know what they are doing." She turned to pin the girl with her ice blue eyes. "Understood?" _

_Seras gulped. She had thought that her Master was intimidating... he had nothing on Sir Integra. "Yes… yes Ma'am. I mean Sir Integra." She corrected quickly, sitting up straighter in her chair. She wasn't sure that she was going to like her new existence half as much as planned, if THIS was what she had to look forward to every night. _

_Integra's eyes trained on the girl for a few moments longer, before they flicked up to find those of her Monster. "She's your problem now, Alucard. See that she doesn't bring Hellsing too much disgrace." _

_Seras witnessed Sir Integra rolling her eyes as something unspoken passed between her and Alucard, and then watched as the Knight turned on her heel and stalked out of the room. _

_"Heh," she murmured to herself as the Knight left the room, settling back into the uncomfortable chair. "Welcome to the Hellsing Organization, Victoria." _

* * *

_'Where are you, Police Girl?' _Her Master's glee-filled voice reverberated through her, breaking her out of the memory of her very first meeting with Sir Integra. '_You're going to miss all the _fun_.' _

Seras growled to herself, "Bloody hell," and called upon her rich vitae to aid her as she sped towards the park that had been their final destination. Sir Integra had sent Alucard out on a pity-run… something to keep the monster out of her hair even though Seras and the rest of the mortal troops could have easily taken the mongrel down… and Alucard had perversely decided to use this as a field trip for his fledgling.

He had, of course, forbidden her from bringing more firepower than just her handgun.

_'If _I_ can do it without lugging a huge cannon across the countryside, Police Girl, then so can you,' _he had taunted her.

Rather annoyed that she could not deliberately speak directly to his mind as he could hers, she spoke very softly, knowing that he would hear her no matter where in London she happened to be. "I'm here. Where is it?"

'_I have cornered it near the aviary," was the almost bored reply. "If you don't hurry up, I may just kill it myself. It's not a very strong one. Not much of a challenge at all.' _

Was that bitterness in his mental touch? No matter… there wasn't enough time for her to follow that line of thinking as she rounded the corner at full pelt, just in time to see the tenebrous form of Alucard slither away from the fringes of light thrown by a streetlamp. In the pool of yellowed illumination stood a young man with short-cropped brown hair and the edges of panic in his eyes. He saw her and growled, leaping towards her in a murderous path, his gaping maw filled with pointed, saliva-filled teeth. She leveled her gun at him, but at the last moment he suddenly veers off to the left, running away from Seras as he scooped up something that gave a very feminine scream.

"Shit! He's got a hostage!" Seras cried out as she ran, after the creature. The creature was becoming clumsy as it tried to feed on the struggling woman in its arms.

_'Use the gift that I gave you, Police Girl. A gun in this situation would draw too much attention - and I would rather us not be interrupted.' _

Oh. She _had_ forgotten about the knife that Alucard had gifted her – the blade made of metal melted down from one of Father Anderson's annoying bayonets, a wooden handle affixed to protect vampiric skin from its holy effects. She pulled out the knife, and as the creature slipped on the wet grass Seras made a spectacular debacle of flying hair and tangled feet as she launched herself at the creature, managing to land just a few inches from him with a hard 'oomph!'.

Somewhere in the darkness, Alucard barely resisted the urge to facepalm.

Undaunted, Seras struck out with her blade, managing to slash the heel of the creature before it could regain its footing. She was rewarded with a pain-filled animalistic scream as the blessed blade did its job, and a spurt of rancid blood erupted from the wound. The creature fell to his knees and dropped the whimpering woman in a heap by his side.

Seras hesitated for a few seconds before she leapt at the vampire, hating that she had to actually get her hands dirty with this one. That was why she liked guns, honestly; they offered a measure of detachment when one killed something. Knives were much more personal, more intimate, and you really had to MEAN it.

The moment of hesitation was all that the creature needed to regain its feet and tear off across the park once more.

Alucard groned. '_Maybe I should have left you at home tonight, after all.' _

Seras muttered under her breath, angrily, and tore off after the now-limping creature.

* * *

_To be continued..._


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: This chapter sucks, because I suck at action sequences. Constructive Crits highly encouraged, as I think good action sequences is something that should be essential to any good multi-part Hellsing fic. Thanks! 

* * *

Seras pelted after the creature, dodging older structures and darted between the trees as it lumbered at a surprising pace towards the more run-down sections of the park, her frustration and embarrassment with her earlier display of ineptitude in front of Master serving to fuel her determination.

She rounded a small copse of trees just in time to see her quarry slip behind a large rock and disappear. Pulling her gun more out of habit than necessity she slowed her pursuit, rounding the rock in time to see the ghouls feet disappearing down the very small mouth of what (she hoped) was the entrance to an underground cavern. Not that she minded enclosed spaces – she DID sleep in a coffin after all- but it would have made tactical maneuvering a nightmare.

"It shimmied down a hole, Master… I'm following it."

'_Acknowledged_,' came his quiet reply.

She holstered her gun and willed her vitae to enhance her vision, attempting to force a change to the spectrum in which she could normally see, then dropped to her belly and slithered forward into the darkness.

The tunnel wasn't very well-used, she noted grumpily as her ample flesh was scraped and bruised by rocks and tree roots that protruded into it. She also concluded that the creature had to have more practice at this than she, because she could no longer see it in the tunnel ahead; but she could make out its grunts of effort to keep ahead of her. After about another minute of shimmying she became aware of a very familiar stench, which grew stronger as she crawled farther in, and though she could not immediately place it the stench stirred something deep within her. Her eyes sharpened of their own accord, her hearing became a bit more astute, and a feral instinct awoke and took hold of her more timid and rational brain. It was because of these new enhancements that she could hear the ghoul ahead of her issue what sounded like a challenging growl, as well as an immediate, much-multiplied echo.

'_For that much of echo it must be an _immense_ cavern,'_ she groaned inwardly, not relishing the idea of chasing the ghoul around in the dark all night – she had had enough of _that _nonsense last week with Master. But something deep within her was stirring, urging her forward anyhow. Besides she knew she would get no help from him if all this turned into was a pitch-dark game of Critter-Tag in the middle of a dank old cave. Hell in that situation he might even _help_ the ghoul, just to make things more sporting. She could feel Alucard's almost malicious amusement at that idea, and she groaned again.

Then, all too abruptly she was out of tunnel. The stench was now almost unbearable, yet oddly delicious at the same time, and it was only her preternaturally honed instincts that kept her from tumbling headfirst down the 5 foot drop that suddenly presented itself.

It was also nothing more than overtraining in an assault situation that made her peer around the immediate area _before_ trying to jump to the floor of the cavern below. What she saw made her freeze, and the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Her jaw dropped, and she hurriedly shimmied about two feet back into the tunnel behind her. "Master," she muttered, "I think you should come see this."

He replied promptly. _'What have you found?'_

Seras swallowed, and described the scene before her.

The ghoul had indeed led her through the essential backdoor of a large underground cavern as she had first thought. The disgustingly familiar stench had been that of the contents of the cavern; the floor was littered with the decomposing remains of nearly hundreds of small woodland critters and various sized household pets, but most gruesome (and appealing, she found to her horror) the still-gooey corpses of what could have been about 20 humans, had anyone the patience or stomach to put what remained of them back together. Alucard seemed rather bored by the description, until she relayed that the ghoul was not alone.

"There has to be over 50 of them."

'_Hmmm…' was_ his only reply.

"I don't understand how they all got here either; there has to be another entrance somewhere, on the other side of the park."

This time there was no reply.

"Um… Orders, Master?" she asked, almost breathlessly. Something within her danced in anticipation.

The parallels of this, and countless other situations were not lost on him, and he grinned. In his best Integral voice he replied, almost gleefully.

'_There is only one order, Police Girl. Search, and destroy.'_

He felt her confident compliance at once, and knew she had gone into action. His very being itched to get himself to her side as quickly as possible, to join in the fun – and to make sure that she survived the encounter – but he knew that he had other duties first: To inform Integral, to find the larger entrance, and perhaps find whoever had made these ghouls in the first place.

Suddenly he wondered if this was how his Master felt when she sent him on a mission, but had to stay home herself in order to take care of the details – prideful anticipation surging through her, supreme confidence that the enemy didn't stand a chance of survival warring with the slightly fluttering pang of dread that perhaps _this time _he wouldn't return to her, mixed with an almost unbearable longing to join in the fun, with a looming jealously of knowing she was not really needed there after all.

Some portion of him sincerely hoped not, but other portions hoped that she did.

But he put that from his mind. He willed his aura to change, to raise and radiate a daunting, menacing challenge that no other of his kind could resist answering, were they in the area at all, and then set off in search of the mouth to the cave.

Down in the cave, Seras had used her slightly higher ground and element of surprise to take out three of the creatures before the hoard had even known she was there. As they had turned to advance in her direction she jumped from the tunnels exit and to the hard floor below, landing with catlike grace and shooting two more before she was forced to move. She darted through the ghouls as her preternatural blood and the slumbering monster within surged to the fore.

When she ran out of bullets she had no problems resorting to Alucard's knife, or her bare hands in order to fell the disgusting excuses for opponents, almost disappointed at how easily they were going down. She grew overconfident and didn't actually kill them all, leaving a few without arms or legs as she entered into a frenzy of merely wanting to _kill them. _She didn't know when she had started to enjoy herself, but by the time Alucard joined her it was only their ties of the blood that kept her from trying to attack _him _too, as a challenge to her position as the superior predator within the area, and a threat to her fun.

Silently, he reveled in her enthusiasm. _'Good, Police Girl… Goooood… but THIS is merely a glimmer of what you are supposed to feel…'_

"What took you so long?" she demanded saucily as he tore apart a ghoul or two, not having bothered with pulling his guns. Her eyes were shining with a superior, almost challenging gleam, and her fangs were almost dripping with anticipation of the next kill.

Alucard was immensely proud of Seras at this moment, and rewarded her with an approving and affectionate gaze. He could feel the euphoric high she was riding, an instinctual thing when killing lesser creatures, and he used her enthusiasm to boost his own. He grinned, and shrugged in reply as his gloved hands ripped through the skull of a creature. "I was merely giving you a head start. Wouldn't have been fair otherwise. Oh, that was five."

"Oh, are we keeping score? Then you have a ways to go, Master, before you catch up!"

He laughed out loud, a sound to curdle milk and make the foulest demons of hell cringe in fear before he set about to do that very thing.

* * *

Two squads of Hellsing were ranged over the park, looking for any other activity that Alucard and Seras may have missed, but Integral was not-so-patiently waiting for them when they exited the cavern, lounging against the hood of the Bentley with her cigar held firmly between her teeth. Her mind was deliberately silent tonight, knowing the semi-depression that facing a bunch of lesser ghouls put her Monster into, and knowing that his preferred method of ignoring the depression was to torment _her. _She was in no mood, especially not with his fledgling present.

However she was startled to see what actually emerged from the killing fields below their feet. A white-blond brow arched at the sight of them – a blood-and-ash covered Alucard with hands shoved deep in his pockets, grinning like a mad schoolboy, while Seras' eyes flashed with a flushed, feral gleam.

They seemed relaxed in each others' company yet at the same time a strange tension surrounded them. They were not yet aware of her presence – something very out of character for her Monster – and Integral had the rare opportunity to watch their faces as they continued what she assumed was a silent mental exchange. Alucard glanced at his fledgling with a wicked grin, and whatever mentally passed between them was enough to make the police girl flush from head to toe. Unable or perhaps unwilling to prevent it, Integral's eyes instinctually narrowed.

_Enjoying yourself, my Monster? _Integral finally silently queried.

Alucard looked up then, and as soon as he saw his Master his wicked smirk faded, his expression becoming thoughtful, and he did not reply. Seras looked up too, though her expression didn't change. When they reached Integral Seras took her Masters silent contemplation of the Knight as a chance to usurp Alucard's usual announcement by reporting proudly, "The targets have been successfully silenced."

Alucard chuckled then, his gaze finally leaving Integral, and shook his head. As he saw his Master's eyes darken the monster wondered again if the Police Girl did that on purpose, before he interrupted the beginning of World War Three by speaking aloud to his fledgling. "Go and find your squad, Police Girl. I am sure they will want to hear what happened." He didn't wait for her reply, only her obedience before his eyes then flashed back to Integral. "There is still a bit of cleanup required, as in her… youthful enthusiasm… we may have left some of them almost alive."

When she said nothing, the last remnants of his almost jovial mood faded. All amusement left his voice, and the very air around him seemed to thicken oppressively. He grunted, once, and turned on his heel. "I'll go see to that now, Master."

He felt her mood flutter, and heard her take an almost hesitant step forward, before her pride and duty reminded her of her place. He could feel her thoughts, and knew that she hated feeling useless, and that for this one moment she resented Seras as a suitable hunting companion. He was about to shrug and continue on his way when he remembered his own emotion earlier in the evening, when it had been Seras in the cave and he on the outside taking care of other, just as necessary details.

Therefore he stopped, and glanced at her over his shoulder, his sunglasses slipping ever-so-slightly down his nose so that he could capture her icy blue gaze in his crimson depths, offering a sudden deep understanding that made Integral very uncomfortable.

'_Will you join me, my Master…?' _his deep mental voice beckoned, the request rather gentler than she thought him capable of.

For the span of three heartbeats she could feel the sarcastic reply leap to her lips, burning the tip of her tongue with its instinctual need to be spoken in order to shield her from his too-understanding gaze. But the acidic reply died when his eyes captured hers, and she realized that she _wanted _to do this, just as much as he wanted her there.

He didn't need to hear her reply. He pushed his glasses back on his nose with a smoky tendril of hair and continued towards the cave. Neither one of them saw it as anything more than the Master granting the Monster his request when she pushed herself off the Bentley and silently followed.

* * *

_One more... I swear..._


End file.
